Bachelorette Party Fun

I'm flying into Burbank tomorrow morning to kick-off a weekend of bachelorette party fun in honor of my best friend Briana. I'm looking forward to pool time, pedicures, and of course, the party itself, as this is a solo trip (kids are staying behind with daddy.) Thank God! This mama could really use a break.

Although most of Briana's party is already planned, I'm considering making something fun to add to the mix. Like a survival kit for everyone. Thank you Pinterest for having so many fun ideas!

Now if Saturday could only come a little quicker...

Snacks, water, bandaids, gum, Advil and breath mints.  

I love the title of this one. Very clever. 

I love the custom labels on this one.

A cute, cost-effective way to carry all the goodies. 

Friday Funny

You know those "shame on [insert company name here]" big banners that are often used by non-unionized workers to protest the unfair treatment of actual union workers? Well, this car dealership in Wichita clearly gets the insanity of it all.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Easy Egg Casserole

Right after I had the boys, someone signed me up for Parents Magazine. I never thought I would enjoy reading it, but it actually has some great material. Case in point: this delicious egg casserole recipe. It has bread, eggs, veggies and cheese and it took me all of 10 minutes to prepare before popping it into the oven.

I made this dish when we hosted company over the weekend and everyone went back for second helpings so I know it's good. I love easy cooking!

The prep work

The end result. Yummy!

Cheesy Egg Casserole:

• 8 large eggs
• 2 1/2 cups of low-fat milk
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 12 oz. whole wheat bread, cut into 1" cubes
• 4 oz. Canadian bacon
• 1 cup of grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 cups broccolini
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Place half of the bread cubes on the bottom of a 9x11 Pyrex dish. Layer with bacon, tomatoes, broccolini, and cheese. Repeat layering with remaining ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes (or overnight if you'd prefer to cook the following day).

Bake uncovered for 50 minutes. Serves 8-10 people.

Mixology Monday: The Blarney Stone

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In previous years, I would've been lined up at the pub by now with my friends and family, eagerly waiting to celebrate together. (Because nothing says "togetherness" like having a pint at 8am, right?)

Well, that sort of fun and chaos is not on the docket this year for me, I'm afraid. But if you're among the young and carefree who will be happily imbibing today with the masses, why not try something other than a Guinness? How about a Blarney Stone? It's a blend of Irish whiskey, lime juice and ginger beer. Sounds good, doesn't it?

The Blarney Stone:

2 oz. Irish whiskey
1 oz. lime juice
Ginger beer
Lime twist (a strip of the lime rind)

Add the whiskey and lime juice in a shaker. Shake for 15-30 seconds. Strain into a glass, top with a float of ginger beer, and garnish with the lime twist.

Friday Funny

In keeping with the body confidence theme today... Have a great weekend everyone!

"Soon the process will be complete!"

The Real Problem With Barbie - Soapbox Style

Have you heard about the new Barbie doll competitor named Lammily? She was created by artist Nickolay Lamm in order to draw attention to Barbie's "unrealistic body proportions."

The Lammily doll

Lamm's project has sparked discussion about how the doll might positively influence body acceptance among young women. While I think that's a nice thought, I don't believe that a doll with more realistic body proportions is going to shift body confidence in little girls or tweens alike. In fact, I don't know anyone who played with a Barbie doll as a kid who then compared herself to one as an adult. (I understand that there are plenty of Barbie doll types who are alive and kicking in the world. One only needs to look at the beaches of sunny, Southern California or watch any "Housewives of [insert city name here]" reality TV show for examples of that.)

The bigger issue here, for me at least, is that young girls get their body confidence from their mothers (or equivalent parental figures), and what mother out there hasn't dieted or fretted about her weight? Or her make-up? Or her hairstyle? Or wrinkles? I know my mom certainly worried about all of these things so I grew up worrying about them too.

I think it's sad that some mothers are willing to put their faith in a doll when it comes to improving body confidence in their daughters. Isn't confidence a learned behavior? We're fooling ourselves if we expect our daughters to love and tolerate their bodies when we aren't even willing to do that ourselves. No doll is going to change that.

Survivalist iPhone Case

Check out this iPhone case that a Vermont woman invented. It has pliers, a ruler, a wire cutter, a bottle opener, a saw, three screwdrivers, and more. It's hard to believe all of that can fit into one little phone cover, but somehow it works. What an amazing invention.